Marin police, mental health officials urge people to avoid road rage

In the wake of a road rage shooting this week in Corte Madera, law enforcement and mental health officials are urging people to remain calm behind the wheel.

Dr. James Stephen Simon, 71, of Corte Madera, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of felony assault with a firearm after allegedly shooting a 69-year-old Tiburon man twice in the abdomen. Police said the crime stemmed from a suspected road rage incident on Paradise Drive in Corte Madera.

It's believed Simon pulled into his driveway off of Paradise Drive and into his garage after the incident, with the man from Tiburon — whose name has not been released by police — trailing behind him. As the garage door closed, it struck the Tiburon man's vehicle, police said. Simon is believed to have gone inside his home to retrieve a revolver, then fired one warning shot into the hillside across from his home.

Police said he then shot the Tiburon man, who remained in serious condition Friday at Marin General Hospital. The man's name has not been released.

Corte Madera Lt. Mike Norton said everyone has experienced feelings of road rage at some point in their lives, but Thursday's shooting should serve as a warning to keep those emotions in check.

"Unfortunately, this whole incident could have been ended with no police involvement had either party backed down at a certain point," Norton said.

Problem in society

Marin police say road rage is an ongoing problem in society that doesn't seem to go away. Law enforcement frequently deals with drivers yelling at each other and using their vehicles in menacing ways. With congestion increasing on roads every year and the average person feeling constantly rushed, feelings of frustration can easily give way to outrage.

Belvedere police Chief Patricia Seyler said anybody who drives the roadways gets frustrated and sees incidents where people are intolerant. But she said word of Thursday's incident startled her.

"For a situation to rise to this level is quite disturbing to me," Seyler said.

California Highway Patrol Officer Andrew Barclay said he has responded to multiple calls over the years for people brandishing weapons during road rage confrontations. While road rage has always been an issue, he said today's societal pressures are making it worse.

"People are in more and more of a rush to get where they are going," Barclay said. "You start getting people who are stressed and already at a heightened level of sensitivity."

Throw a difficult driving situation at them and their emotions might just erupt like lava from a volcano.

But there's an explanation for why those feelings can be so powerful.

Dr. Mason Turner, chief of psychiatry at Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco and assistant director of regional mental health for Kaiser Permanente, said people have a lower frustration tolerance when they are driving and that road rage is a common topic that comes up in psychotherapy.

"Road rage can be an expression when you feel like you're out of control of the situation," Turner said, explaining how someone might feel if another driver cut them off. "There's a loss of power and control, and we respond by getting very angry."

In addition, Turner said people forget that driving is a complex cognitive task that demands attention and rules.

"Driving can be a very nasty and difficult business. We can be a little bit more stressed and on edge when we are driving," he said. "When people are engaging in tasks, they like to know what the rules and boundaries are. When that's disrupted, our sense of order is disrupted."

Then there are just those people who are outright aggressive and need to learn to control their rage, he said.

"It's very important you figure out a way to manage those impulses," Turner said. "The last thing you want to do is have a rage attack behind the wheel."

Avoiding confrontation

As someone who commutes each day from the East Bay to San Francisco, Turner is familiar with the frustrations that can accompany driving. He said it's important for people to understand their mental state before buckling up.

"If you've had a bad day, you're going to need to take driving a little bit slower," he said. "Take 10 minutes to relax before you get behind the wheel."

Turner also suggests listening to relaxing music or audio books when driving to help stay calm.

"When you begin to feel the road rage, take a deep breath and pull aside to get out of that moment. Don't get out of the car. Take a step back and get yourself out of the situation," he said.

Instead of engaging someone who is driving inappropriately, who could be armed and violent, Barclay said people should call 911.

"Our advice to people is if somebody is driving recklessly in front of you, the best thing you can do is call and report them," Barclay said. "Making hand gestures and things like that to indicate your frustration — that may not be somebody you want to get mad."

Sausalito Police Chief Jennifer Tejada agreed.

"If someone is following too closely, failing to use a turn signal, cuts in front of you, or otherwise driving dangerously, note the license plate and let law enforcement handle it. It is really not worth it, not worth the injury or loss of a life to engage in road rage behavior," Tejada said.

In the case of Thursday's road rage shooting in Corte Madera, police said the man from Tiburon followed Simon to his house and partly into his garage. They said it's not a good idea to lead people back to your residence after a heated event.

Barclay said the first thing people should do is call 911 and drive to the nearest police station.

"If that's not a possibility, the next best thing to do is go to a well-lit, populated area," Barclay said. "People won't react as badly when there are more people around."